If he were to rely solely on the scene from his memories—Zoro's moment of comprehending the Breath of All Things—to grope his way forward, Roya estimated that it would take an enormous amount of effort just to figure out what this so-called "Breath of All Things" actually was.
However, within this Swordsmanship Essentials, the concept of the Breath of All Things was explained with absolute clarity.
The term "Breath of All Things" sounded vague and confusing, but if this state were described using another word, it would become extremely simple. That word was—
Focus.
Yes, it was that simple. But although it sounded simple, actually achieving it was extraordinarily difficult.
Ordinary people found it very hard to fully concentrate their mind, free of all distracting thoughts, and focus entirely on a single matter or a single object.
When one's entire mind was completely gathered and focused upon a single object or a single point, one would experience a completely different sensation.
That sensation was what was known as the Breath of All Things.
"So that's how it is… absolute focus on the sword, absolute focus on the act of cutting. In this state, one can unleash power completely different from an ordinary slash…"
Reading the detailed explanation of the essence of master swordsmans in the Swordsmanship Essentials, Roya revealed an "I see" expression and murmured softly to himself.
It made sense.
After all, this was material from the Marine Headquarters' archives. It had undoubtedly been organized and refined by countless people, reaching the highest level of detail while remaining as simple and easy to understand as possible.
That said, understanding it did not necessarily mean one could do it. Master swordsmans were not common rabble that could be found everywhere; they were certainly not something anyone could become at will.
Even if an ordinary swordsman knew that the difference between themselves and a master swordsman lay in this state of "focus," it would still be extremely difficult to truly empty the mind and maintain that focus.
Many swordsmen had to practice swinging their swords relentlessly for years—sometimes decades—gradually suppressing stray thoughts, before they could finally focus their entire mind on "cutting" and enter that focused state.
The very first threshold of becoming a master swordsman alone was enough to halt the steps of countless swordsmen.
"Focus, huh?"
Roya read through this entire section of the materials, then closed his eyes and reflected carefully before placing the Swordsmanship Essentials aside.
Generally speaking, to maintain focus—to fully gather one's mind and concentrate on "cutting"—one needed countless repetitions of sword swings, gradually approaching that state and touching upon it.
However, Roya felt that he might not need to do things that way.
"A mind free of distractions…"
As Roya murmured to himself with his eyes closed, he began adjusting his breathing and organizing his thoughts, causing those chaotic, scattered ideas to gradually retract one by one.
Roya was different from ordinary people. He had died once before, and after coming to this world, his soul had fused with the Soul Sword. His mental strength could be said to far surpass that of normal people.
With such a powerful soul and mental force, Roya did not need to rely on the slow, grinding method of gradual refinement like ordinary people. Instead, he could adopt a far more forceful approach—forcibly gathering his mind.
At the beginning, even this forced concentration was not without difficulty. Many stray thoughts continuously emerged, repeatedly interfering with Roya.
However, his mind did not shift toward any of those thoughts. One by one, he extinguished them as they arose.
Gradually—
At some point, Roya's inner world became completely clear and empty.
Silently, Roya gently opened his eyes. His gaze was clear as water, and within his eyes, not the slightest trace of distraction could be seen.
Everything seemed to fall into complete silence. There were no sounds at all—only the sound of his own heartbeat echoed in his ears.
This was an extremely peculiar state.
It was not a state of absent-mindedness. Rather, it allowed him to clearly observe his own thoughts, with his consciousness condensed into a single line, free from any stray ideas that could interfere.
"So this is a mind without distractions… a completely empty state?"
This was Roya's first time entering such a state, and a hint of astonishment arose in his heart, but it quickly settled back into calm.
This state itself was not "focus," but focus was something that extended naturally from this completely empty condition.
Roya began attempting to concentrate his mind entirely on the objects around him. Vaguely, it felt as though he could hear the breathing of the table, the chair, the teacup, the floor…
"Is this Observation Haki?"
While in this state, Roya suddenly felt a trace of doubt. This sensation was somewhat similar to descriptions of Observation Haki.
He inexplicably felt that if one were to proceed in the direction of fully focusing the mind on "cutting" from this state, that would lead to the realm of a master swordsman. Going in another direction, however, seemed to lead toward Observation Haki!
This state was very likely the embryonic form of Observation Haki as well.
However, at present, Roya had yet to receive Observation Haki training from Garp. Still, he knew that being able to enter this state already meant he had glimpsed the master swordsman level in terms of realm.
"Focus."
Roya's gaze returned to his Great Grade Blade, Engetsu.
He gently drew Engetsu, then casually picked up a sheet of paper. With clear eyes fixed upon it, he tossed it into the air.
"A sword that can cut anything is the sword of a master swordsman. And if you want to cut anything, then you must first be able to cut nothing… let's try."
At this moment, Roya's mind was completely gathered on the slowly descending sheet of paper in midair, as well as on the Great Grade Blade Engetsu held in his hands.
Shhk!!
In the next instant, Roya's sword suddenly swung out. A faint sound of air being split rang out as an extreme, razor-sharp edge erupted, striking the falling sheet of paper.
The paper… was not cut.
To slice through an ordinary sheet of paper was, of course, an exceedingly simple matter. But to swing with force and yet leave the paper uncut—that was a realm in itself.
"This is it!"
Seeing that his slash caused no damage whatsoever to the falling paper, a sharp gleam flashed through Roya's clear eyes, and he simultaneously exited the focused state.
"Is it really this simple?"
Sheathing Engetsu, Roya picked up the sheet of paper and examined it. Afterward, he shook his head slightly.
"No. That was because I entered that state in complete stillness."
"Being able to enter it at any time during combat—and maintain it continuously—that will not be easy."
As this thought crossed his mind, Roya straightened up, a look of certainty flashing through his eyes.
As expected, for him, this method of forcibly gathering the mind and entering a focused state was viable.
To comprehend the state of focus, the most fundamental approach was daily, unceasing sword practice—gradually allowing the heart to merge with the sword, following the sword's movements, until complete understanding and mastery were achieved.
The other, more special method was the one Roya had just used: approaching it directly from the mental aspect. This method was also recorded in the Swordsmanship Essentials, but those who could successfully train it this way were extremely rare.
Roya happened to be perfectly suited for this kind of training.
"Next, I need to try entering the focused state freely under any circumstances, and maintaining it at will—stabilizing this realm completely!"
"It feels… like it might still be quite simple."